U.S. patent application number 11/171669 was filed with the patent office on 2006-01-05 for automotive vehicle seat with a lengthwise adjustment device, a seat carrier and rear rockers.
This patent application is currently assigned to C. Rob. Hammerstein GmbH & Co. KG. Invention is credited to Burckhard Becker, Wilfried Beneker.
Application Number | 20060001306 11/171669 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35511074 |
Filed Date | 2006-01-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060001306 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Becker; Burckhard ; et
al. |
January 5, 2006 |
Automotive vehicle seat with a lengthwise adjustment device, a seat
carrier and rear rockers
Abstract
The automotive vehicle seat has a lengthwise adjustment device,
a seat carrier and two rear rockers that are disposed between the
seat carrier and the lengthwise adjustment device and that are each
connected at an upper hinge point to the seat carrier and at a
lower hinge point to the lengthwise adjustment device and a seat
belt comprising a belt end on one side and a belt buckle on the
other side of the seat. A fastening point, to which a respective
one of the belt end and the belt buckle is fastened, is provided on
at least one of the rear rockers. The fastening point is located in
proximity to the lower hinge point and is nearer to the lower hinge
point than to the upper hinge point.
Inventors: |
Becker; Burckhard;
(Solingen, DE) ; Beneker; Wilfried; (Leichlingen,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCCARTER & ENGLISH LLP;CITYPLACE I
185 ASYLUM STREET
HARTFORD
CT
06103
US
|
Assignee: |
C. Rob. Hammerstein GmbH & Co.
KG
|
Family ID: |
35511074 |
Appl. No.: |
11/171669 |
Filed: |
June 29, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/344.15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R 22/1952 20130101;
B60N 2/002 20130101; B60R 2022/1806 20130101; B60N 2/1615 20130101;
B60R 22/26 20130101; B60N 2/06 20130101; B60R 22/1951 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/344.15 |
International
Class: |
A47C 1/02 20060101
A47C001/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 2, 2004 |
DE |
10 2004 032 384.4 |
Feb 2, 2005 |
DE |
10 2005 004 660.6 |
Claims
1-12. (canceled)
13. An automotive vehicle seat comprising: a lengthwise adjustment
device; a seat carrier; and two rear rockers are disposed between
said seat carrier and said lengthwise adjustment device, said two
rear rockers are each connected at an upper hinge point to said
seat carrier and at a lower hinge point to said lengthwise
adjustment device, said two rockers have a seat belt comprising a
belt end on one side and a belt buckle on the other side of the
seat, a fastening point to which a respective one of said belt end
and said belt buckle is fastened being provided on at least one of
said rear rockers, wherein said fastening point is located in
proximity to said lower hinge point and said fastening point is
nearer to said lower hinge point than to said upper hinge
point.
14. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 13, wherein
said length adjustment device comprises a pair of rails on each
seat side, each having a floor rail and a seat rail, and a sensor
for detecting the weight of an occupant, said sensor being disposed
between the fastening point and the seat rail disposed
therebeneath.
15. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 14, wherein
said sensor for detecting the weight of an occupant senses a torque
or a weight.
16. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 13, wherein
said fastening point is located in a lower third of a distance
between said lower hinge point and said upper hinge point.
17. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 16, wherein
said fastening point is located in a lower quarter of a distance
between said lower hinge point and said upper hinge point.
18. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 13, wherein
said belt end comprises an end mounting, said end mounting is
hinged at said belt end fastening point to one of said two rear
rockers.
19. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 18, wherein
said end mounting is mounted to an outboard-side rear rocker of
said two rear rockers.
20. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 13, wherein
said belt buckle is connected to a belt tensioner, said belt
tensioner is hinged to one of said two rear rockers at said belt
buckle fastening point.
21. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 20, wherein
said belt tensioner is hinged to an inboard-side rear rocker of
said two rear rockers.
22. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 20, wherein
said belt tensioner comprises a pull member, said pull member has
an upper end and a lower end, said upper end is connected to said
belt buckle which it carries, said belt tensioner comprises a
tensioner unit to which said lower end of said pull member is
connected, said tensioner unit is connected to a crash sensor that
enables said tensioner unit in a crash situation of the automotive
vehicle in which the automotive vehicle seat is mounted and said
tensioner unit exerts a tensile force onto said pull member to
thereby pull said belt buckle substantially downward.
23. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 20, wherein
said belt tensioner has an elongate body, said elongate body
comprises a front end and a rear end, said elongate body is hinged
to said belt buckle fastening point in proximity to said rear end
and said elongate body is slidably retained in a guide member.
24. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 23, wherein
said seat carrier is hinge-linked to said lengthwise adjustment
device through two front rockers and said guide member is disposed
to one of said front rockers.
25. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 23, wherein
said lengthwise adjustment device comprises one pair of rails on
either seat side each having one floor rail and one seat rail, and
said guide member is connected to said one seat rail.
26. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 23, wherein
said elongate body is always parallel to a direction of adjustment
of said lengthwise adjustment device, or to an x-direction,
respectively, irrespective of an angular position of said rear
rockers to which it is hinged.
27. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 24, wherein
said guide member is hinged to an inboard-side of said one of said
front rockers at a distance from the lower hinge of said one of
said front rockers, said distance corresponding to a distance
between said belt buckle fastening point and said lower hinge point
of said rear rocker on an inboard-side.
28. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 24, wherein
said guide member is hinged to an inboard-side front rocker of said
one of said front rockers.
29. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 25, wherein
said guide member is hinge-linked to said one seat rail.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to an automotive vehicle seat having a
lengthwise adjustment device, a seat carrier and two rear rockers
that are disposed between the seat carrier and the lengthwise
adjustment device and that are each connected at an upper hinge
point to the seat carrier and at a lower hinge point to the
lengthwise adjustment device and having a seat belt comprising a
belt end on one side and a belt buckle on the other side of the
seat, a fastening point to which a respective one of the belt end
and the belt buckle is fastened being provided on at least one of
the rear rockers.
[0002] A vehicle seat of this type is known from U.S. Pat. No.
6,299,252 B1. This patent is more specifically directed to the lap
belt of a V-belt. The prior art seat belt has the fastening point
for the belt buckle disposed in the top half of the distance
between the two hinge points of the associated rear rocker.
Basically, this arrangement has proved efficient.
[0003] Under crash load conditions, a high tensile force is applied
to the fastening point. Depending on the angular position of the
associated rear rocker, said rocker is not only subjected to a
tensile load but is also pivoted. The associated rear rocker may
thereby deform and at any rate provides a certain amount of give.
This give is effected by the pivoting movement mentioned and/or by
the deformation of the rear rocker.
[0004] This is where the invention comes in. It aims at disposing
the fastening point at a location where deformation and relative
movements occur least during a crash, meaning at fastening the seat
belt as rigidly as possible in order to ensure good diversion of
the occurring forces.
[0005] In view thereof, it is the object of the invention to
develop the automotive vehicle seat of the type mentioned herein
above in such a manner that the lap portion of the seat belt is
fastened at the fastening point so that crash loads are as far as
practicable directly introduced into an underbody of an automotive
vehicle to which the automotive vehicle seat is connected, with the
parts mounted therein between being subjected to the least possible
extent to deformation and relative movement.
[0006] This object is solved by the automotive vehicle seat having
the features of patent claim 1.
[0007] Accordingly, a fastening point is associated with at least
one of the two rear rockers. This fastening point receives either
the end of the belt or the belt buckle. Preferably, each of the two
rear rockers has one fastening point, with one rear rocker
comprising a fastening point for the belt buckle and the other rear
rocker a fastening point for the end of the belt. Preferably, the
fastening point of the belt end is formed on the rear rocker
located on the outboard side of the vehicle.
[0008] As the fastening point is disposed in proximity to the lower
hinge point, a crash load is applied to quite a low part of the
respective one of the rear rockers so that said rocker is less
loaded in the direction of rotation than in prior art devices. As
the fastening point is low, the distance to the lengthwise
adjustment device is short and the path on which crash loads are
introduced into an underbody is short.
[0009] Other features and advantages of the invention will become
more apparent upon reviewing the appended claims and the following
non restrictive description of embodiments of the invention, given
by way of example only with reference to the drawing. In said
drawing:
[0010] FIG. 1: is a perspective view of an automotive vehicle seat
looking onto the outboard side of the seat,
[0011] FIG. 2: is a partial side view of a second exemplary
embodiment, looking onto the inboard side of the seat,
[0012] FIG. 3: is a portion of an illustration similar to FIG. 2,
but for a third implementation and
[0013] FIG. 4: is a partial side view similar to FIG. 2, but now
for a fourth configuration.
[0014] The automotive vehicle seat has a lengthwise adjustment
device which, in the embodiment shown, has a pair of rails on
either side of the seat, each of said pairs of rails comprising a
seat rail 20 and a floor rail 22. The floor rails 22 are connected
to an underbody 24 of the automotive vehicle when the automotive
vehicle seat is in its mounted state. The automotive vehicle
further has a seat carrier 26 and two rear rockers, namely a left
or outboard-side rear rocker 28 and a right or inboard-side rear
rocker 30. Said rockers 28, 30 are hinged at an upper hinge point
32 to the seat carrier 26 and at a lower hinge point 34 to the seat
rail 20, more precisely to a bearing pillow 36 belonging to said
seat rail 20. Further, front rockers are provided, namely a left or
outboard-side front rocker 38 and a right or inboard-side front
rocker 40. Together with the seat carrier 26 and the associated
seat rail 20, the rockers form a four-bar linkage. A prior art
adjustment device is associated with at least one four-bar linkage;
said adjustment device has not been illustrated herein.
[0015] Further, the automotive vehicle seat has a seat belt of
which FIG. 1 only shows a belt end 42 that is part of the lap belt.
It is located in a known manner on the outboard side of the seat.
FIG. 2 shows a belt buckle 44 of the safety belt; it is located on
the inboard side of the seat and will be discussed in closer detail
herein after. The belt end 42 comprises an end mounting 46 where
the textile part of the lap belt is fixed, said end mounting 46
being hinged at a first fastening point 48 to the outboard-side
rear rocker 28. Said fastening point is located in proximity to the
lower hinge point 34. In the embodiment shown, the fastening point
of the belt end or first fastening point 48 is disposed in the
lower third of the distance between the lower hinge point 34 and
the upper hinge point 32. It is preferably located at the nearest
possible distance from the lower hinge point 34, and is preferably
formed in the lower fourth of the effective length of the rear
rocker 28. The first fastening point 48 is preferably a bolt or a
screw and protrudes transversely outward from the rear rocker 28
that is implemented as a flat component part.
[0016] The vehicle seat of FIG. 1 comprises an occupant weight
sensing system that will be discussed in closer detail herein
after. For sensing the occupant's weight, one sensor 50 is
respectively associated with each lower hinge point 34 of the two
rear rockers 28, 30 and with each corresponding lower hinge point
of the two front rockers 38, 40, with the sensors 50 used being
built according to the same design principle. They are built in the
following manner: the sensors 50 have a cup-shaped housing that can
be seen from FIG. 1. Centrally within said housing there is located
a bolt 52 that, in FIG. 1, is outlined on one sensor and is
moreover visible on two other sensors. At one end, said bolt is
disposed on a bottom of the cup-shaped housing with the bottom of
the cup pointing toward the center of the seat. In the region of
the other end, the bolt forms a pivot hinge for the respective one
of the rockers. The bolts are oriented in the y-direction. The
bolts 52 are free to engage through a bearing hole in the
respective one of the bearing pillows 36. The deviation of the bolt
52 relative to the cup-shaped housing is sensed by suited measuring
means, such as inductively or by means of resistance strain gauges.
Put another way, the displacement of the respective one of the
rockers relative to the bearing pillow 36 is measured. Actually,
the displacements are very small, for example on the order of 1 mm
and less.
[0017] Other sensors than the sensors 50 shown can be utilized. The
rocker may for example be hinged to a bearing pillow 36 and the
bearing pillow itself may comprise resistance strain gauges for
detecting a change of length of the bearing pillow when loaded with
the weight of an occupant. Sensors having an upright bolt and a
crosspiece attached thereto may also be used on the seat rail
20.
[0018] It is important that the sensor 50 be located beneath the
first fastening point 48. Thus, internal stresses within the seat
belt, more specifically within the lap portion thereof, will not
affect the result of the measurement delivered by the sensors
50.
[0019] FIG. 1 shows an automotive vehicle seat in which only the
outboard side of the seat comprises a fastening point 48 configured
in accordance with the invention. The other seat side is not
illustrated in FIG. 1. It will be explained now with reference to
the other exemplary embodiments. It is preferred that the
automotive vehicle seat have one fastening point 48 on either side
of the seat.
[0020] FIG. 2 shows an inboard side rear rocker 30 that is hinged
at the upper hinge point 32 to the seat carrier 26 and at the lower
hinge point 34 to the associated seat rail 20 via a bearing pillow
36 of said seat rail. There can be provided a sensor 50 although
FIG. 2 does not show any. The invention can be carried out with and
without sensors 50.
[0021] The rear rocker 30 has a fastening point of the belt end or
second fastening point 49 where a belt tensioner is hinged. With
reference to the distance of the second fastening point 49 from the
lower hinge point 34, what has been said herein above applies. It
is preferred that both fastening points, if provided, be configured
in the same manner and be disposed at the same distance from the
lower hinge point. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the fastening
point 49 is located at a distance from the lower hinge point 34 of
about 20% of the overall effective length of the rocker 30.
Effective length means the distance between the hinge points 32,
34.
[0022] The belt tensioner 54 comprises a pull member 56 that is
only partially visible. In its visible portion to which an upper
end 58 belongs, it is connected to the belt buckle 44 which it
carries, meaning, it is configured accordingly. The pull member 57
is for example a rigid bendable part.
[0023] The belt tensioner 54 has a tensioner unit 60. It has an
elongate body 62 that is substantially tubular and in which there
is located a piston. Said tensioning unit is moved forward
(substantially in the x-direction) by means of a pyrotechnic
device. The pyrotechnic device is electrically ignited, with
electrical connectors 64 for connecting the belt tensioner to a
crash sensor 66 being provided for this purpose. In a crash
situation of the automotive vehicle in which the automotive vehicle
seat is mounted, said crash sensor enables said tensioner unit in a
known manner and can also trigger other parts such as airbags.
[0024] The elongate body has a rear end 68 and a front end 70. The
rear end is plugged into a housing that also ensures articulation
to the second fastening point 49, the fastening point for the belt
buckle. The pull member 56 enters said housing and is deflected
toward the elongate body 62. It is connected to the piston. In
proximity to the front end 70, there is located a guide member 72.
The FIGS. 2 through 4 illustrate three different implementations of
said guide member. All the exemplary embodiments share the feature
that the elongate body 62 is capable of being displaced
substantially in the x-direction relative to the guide member
72.
[0025] In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 2, the guide member 72
substantially is an eye that is solidly connected to the seat rail
20. The actual guide region is configured to be crowned within so
that the elongate body 62 is allowed to assume different angular
positions with respect to the guide member 72 within a certain
angular range. The guide member of FIG. 2 is disposed between a
front rocker 40 and the rear rocker 30. Its height above the seat
rail 20 is chosen to be oriented substantially parallel to the
longitudinal direction of the rails 20, 22 or substantially in the
x-direction.
[0026] In the implementation as shown in FIG. 3, the guide member
72 is not hinge-linked directly to the seat rail but through a
coupler 74 to a pillow 76; the pillow 76 is fastened to the seat
rail 20 in a position similar to the one in the exemplary
embodiment of FIG. 2. In the configuration as shown in FIG. 3, the
actual guide region, meaning the inner wall of the guide member 72,
is also crowned so that different angular positions may be assumed.
This time however, these positions are made substantially possible
by orienting the coupler 74 in different ways. It is preferred that
the distance between the hinges of the coupler 74 be equal to the
distance between the lower hinge point 34 and the second fastening
point 49. A four-bar linkage is thus provided and the elongate body
62 remains largely independent of the angular position of the
rockers, substantially in one direction, namely substantially in
the x-direction.
[0027] In the implementation of FIG. 4, the guide member 72 has a
recess 78 that is open toward the back and into which engages the
front end 60 of the elongate body 62. The guide member 72 is hinged
at one hinge point to the front rocker 40. The distance between the
hinges again substantially corresponds to the corresponding
distance between the second fastening point 49 and the lower hinge
point 34 so that a four-bar linkage is formed here as well. The
special guide means 72 permits relative movements that occur as a
result of the different length of the identically built front
rockers 38, 40 as compared to the identically built rear rockers
28, 30 and of the different angular positions of said pairs of
rockers 28, 30 and 38, 40 respectively.
[0028] The automotive vehicle seat of the invention is particularly
provided for a passenger front seat next to the driver's seat. In
its configuration with the weight sensors, it is possible to
trigger one or a plurality of associated airbags, depending on the
weight of the passenger.
* * * * *